The invention relates to energetic compounds and to the preparation of such compounds. More particularly, the invention relates to energetic nitrate esters.
Nitrate esters have been known as useful energetic materials since the discovery of nitroglycerin in 1846. The development of methods to increase the safety and utility of nitroglycerin by Alfred Nobel led to the revolutionary improvement in the use of nitroglycerin, in the form of dynamite, in explosive applications. Since then, many nitrate esters have been prepared and incorporated into military applications such as double-based propellants, detonators, and as energetic plasticizers. Nitrate esters have also been shown to have vasodilatory effects in humans and thus have been studied and used for treatments of ailments such as angina. The mechanism of the biological response towards nitrate esters has been elucidated recently.
Interestingly, many of the nitrate esters used for military purposes are liquids, e.g., ethylene glycol dinitrate and propylene glycol dinitrate. Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) is one of the only solid nitrate esters, besides nitrocellulose, that is used in explosive applications. Unfortunately, the melting point of PETN is above 100° C., and thus PETN must be pressed as a solid for use in detonator applications. A more practical material would be a melt-castable explosive, which would allow the simplification of manufacturing processes.
Herein is described the synthesis of an energetic nitrate ester that is a solid at ambient temperature, has a melting point range of 85-86° C., and has the highest density of any known nitrate ester composed of only carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The chemical, thermal, and sensitivity properties of this energetic nitrate ester are also described, as well as some preliminary explosive performance data.